It was only in the late 1970s that new studies advanced the argument that the situation of blacks in Brazil and the racial inequality prevalent throughout the country were the result of the racism present in Brazilian society, not merely the consequence of economic and social discrimination.
Junto con este rechazo de la idea de una democracia racial al final de los años setenta, los movimientos negros comenzaron a desempeñar un papel más prominente y a socavar los cimientos de la concepción predominante en la sociedad brasileña.